"Ahem! As I was explaining... there is a lake far to the east. There are many aspects of that lake that remain mysterious. We hope to unravel those mysteries. And so, our guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while. "

As soon as Chatot finished his exposition, the crowd of apprentices gathered before him and Wigglytuff immediately went into an excited frenzy.

"An expedition, you say? Yes, please! Yes sirree!"

"It's been a long time since we went on an expedition!"

"But... That means you're going to be picking members for the expedition from ALL of us again, right?"

Chatot ruffled his feathers.

"Precisely! We will depart in several days, or maybe in a little over a week . Over these next few days, we will choose the most worthy apprentices. The chosen members will form the expedition party. Everyone, work hard so that you may be chosen for the expedition!" The apprentices once again got excited and started discussing prospects among themselves, prompting Chatot to call for order. "All right, everyone. It's back to work as usual. "

"HOORAY!"

The apprentices left to perform their usual duties. And Chatot turned to the two human girls. "Today, I want you two to check the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board and handle their listed jobs got it?"

"Got it!" Answered Serena with enthusiasm, as May nodded. Looks like it's business as usual for Team CrimsonVelvet. The Hoennian thought, as her partner eagerly grabbed her wrist and guided her up to the next level. " Let's try to do as many jobs as we can. Then they'll have to pick us for the expedition party! Let's go check now, May!"

However, as soon as they got to the Bulletin Board Level, May and Serena felt an air of unease. They quickly realized why, when they approached the Job Bulletin Board and noticed two familiar Poison type Pokemon floating in front of the board.

"Serena, are those who I think they are?"

The Kalosian blonde couldn't believe her eyes, and neither could the two Pokemon in question, as they turned and saw the human girls.

"Hey!"

"You two?!"

Serena wasn't amused. "I... I remember! They're those two crooks who stole my Relic Fragment! What are they doing here?!"

Koffing laughed in response. "Whoa-ho-ho! I'll have you know that we're an exploration team too."

Zubat nodded in agreement. "Heh-heh-heh. What's so funny about an exploration team checking out the Job Bulletin Board?"

"What?! You're an exploration team?!" May expressed her shock, as Koffing returned the sentiment. "That's right. Though the way we operate isn't always... by the book. But what a surprise! Why would you be here?"

"We wanted to become exploration team members. That's why we're training at this guild." Answered Serena with a proud expression, though it faltered in response to Koffing and Zubat's incredulity.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Whaaaat?!"

"You want to become a real-deal exploration team member?!"

The two levitating Poison types shared a look and then rushed at Serena. "You! Come with us for a second." "Wh-what is it?" Koffing got behind Serena and pushed her towards the end of the room, ignoring the girl's protests. May reached out but her hand was swatted away by Zubat. Heh-heh-heh, we'll give you back your blondie in a minute."

Serena had her back to the wall as Koffing and Zubat leered at her. "Now don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, but you should just forget about being on an exploration team!" The floating ball of gas explained.

"What?! Why?!"

"Well, you're timid. You scare easy. A scaredy-cat like you can't cut it on an exploration team." Responded Zubat.

"B-but!"

The bat continued. "Heh-heh-heh. Don't forget you're also only human. You can't float, run fast, or use any special moves besides those basic ones you got lucky with at the Beach Cave. How would you even compete with other exploration teams?"

Serena was silent for a minute. But then pushed past the Poison type bullies and turned to face them, with her back to May. "It's true that I'm timid, and that as a human, I have some disadvantages. But that's why I'm in training! So I can overcome my own shortcomings! Even now, I'm working hard to be picked for the guild's expedition!"

The floating Poison types' attention was piqued, "Oh? An expedition, you say?" "Heh-heh. Well, effort only gets you so far. You won't get picked for the expedition party if you don't have talent, right? It all comes down to talent... pure talent!"

Serena was quick to call them out. "B-big talk! You sure talk a lot about talent, but what kind of skills do you have? You were so weak, we even beat you!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Well, we didn't have the Chief with us."

May and Serena were both surprised. "Ch-Chief?" The former wondered out loud.

"Heh-heh. That's right."

"Team Skull, our exploration team, has three members."

"Our Chief is incredibly talented."

"To put it bluntly, he's brutally tough."

"Heh-heh. If the Chief were around, we'd snap you like a twig." Team Skull suddenly stopped aggrandizing their leader and turned to the ladders. "Whoa-ho-ho! Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!" Serena and May turned to the ladders. "Ugh, what's that awful smell?"

The smell got worse as a large, quadrupedal, purple, furry being climbed down the ladder. "Here's the Chief!" Declared Zubat with excitement. As the being turned around, his fanged face was right in front of May. "Move! Out of the way!" He suddenly turned to the side, lifted up a leg, and doused the Hoennian in a putrid cloud of gas. "May! NO!" Serena screamed as the noxious fumes sent her partner flying across the room. "UGH! This smell is horrible!" Serena covered her mouth as the cloud of gas enveloped the whole floor, disturbing the other apprentices in the process.

"Eek! It reeks like rotten cheese!"

"That is foul, yes sirree!"

"Hey, hey! My eyes are burning!"

As the cloud dissipated, the purple being moved past the unconscious form of May and faced the Kalosian girl. "Move it! Or do you want to end up like that floozy over there?!" Serena shivered and could do nothing but step out of the way, to the delight of Team Skull's other members.

"Chief!"

"You showed them, Chief! You're the best! A credit to all Skuntank!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, you two, did you sniff out any jobs that'll bring in the cash?"

Koffing bloated in response. "The Job Bulletin Board only posted cheap tasks, but..."

"There's something else, Chief. It's got the potential to go big..." Zubat flew over to Skuntank and perched near his ear. "What? An expedition from this guild? That does sound tasty." The foul-smelling leader addressed his underlings. "Let's get out of here. We need to do some plotting. Come on. We're going."

"YEAH!"

Koffing and Zubat followed Skuntank up the ladder. Koffing noticed the other Pokemon on the floor glaring at them. "What are you all staring at? This isn't a public performance!" Zubat turned to Serena. "Heh-heh, see you around, wimps."

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"May? May! Are you ok?!" Serena cradled the brunette in her arms, with Grimer by her side. The outraged pile of sludge had smelled the stench and enjoyed it, but upon coming to the floor to inspect the source, he saw that his beautiful team leader was unconscious. The Hoennian slowly opened her eyes. "Urrrgh. I felt like I got hit by something painful." Serena immediately hugged her. "MAY! I'm glad you're not hurt. I couldn't work up the courage to challenge him to his face! Even though he hurt you... I'm so ashamed of myself... They were right, I'm just a wimp." The blonde started to tear up.

May smiled and sat up. She ignored the sensation of a mass of sludge slithering behind her as she faced Serena. "You're not a wimp, Serena. Those bullies are the problem." The Kalosian smiled back through her tears "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, May... But... But I really am a wimp... But it's nothing new for me... I've decided that I can still do my best even if I'm not very brave. I'm not going to give up over something like this." She suddenly perked up. "I'm going to be cheerful and keep trying. For now, we'd better keep working like we've been doing. Let's keep at it, May!" The Hoennian smiled in return. "You can stop massaging my shoulders now, Grimer." The Poison type released her and the girl stood up, ready to perform her daily duties.

"Hey, hey, hey! Those guys you were talking with... They looked like some rough customers, hey, hey?"

"EEK! Those guys are real jerks! Next time we won't let them near you."

"Gee, whiz. That stench... It's a miracle that you survived..."

Corphish, Sunflora, and Bidoof expressed their sympathies. I'm glad the older guild apprentices are outraged at the rough treatment of their junior members by some Poison-type punks. May thought as she, Serena, and Grimer went to the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board.

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There was no job of great interest at the moment, so Team CrimsonVelvet decided to head to the beach, as May wanted to soak in some seawater after the odorous assault she had endured. Serena and Grimer were both eager to see the Hoennian splash around in her bikini, though May was only eager to be ogled by the former. I can't believe I'm taking them to the beach for no reason. At least they'll both be happy to watch me soak a little bit.

Suddenly, before they reached the beach, a good reason to check it out came into view.

"Ahoy, human ladies! Are you headed to the beach? Well, would you keep an eye out for something, if you could? Recently, there have been bottles washing up on the beach. It looks as though there's something inside those bottles. If that sounds interesting, you might want to look for bottles on the beach."

The Krabby walked around Team CrimsonVelvet and crab-walked away. "Bottles washing up on the beach..." Grimer muttered to himself, his interest piqued.. Serena was more excited. "Bottles with something in them... I'm interested. Sounds like they're only washing up now and then. Whenever we head to the beach, we can look for a Bottle!"

As soon as they arrived at the beach, May decided to jump into the water and splash around for a bit. Serena and Grimer both gazed at the girl. The Kalosian blonde, however, remembered that there might be bottles around. She grabbed Grimer's slimy hand. "We can't spend the whole day staring at May, as much as I'd like to. We need to look for some bottles." The Poison type was miffed at being dragged away but went along. At least Serena is also just as lovely too look at. He thought, while fixating upon her back and thighs. Serena slowly sidled across the beach, going as far as the entrance to the Beach Cave and back. She was about give up when she felt something smooth and hard on her toe. "Huh?" The Kalosian bent down and started to dig through the sand; she stood up with a translucent glass bottle in her hands, with a cork at the end. "May! Look what I found!"

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"I REALLY hope we don't have to stay in this place too long after all we went through the first time..."

"Me too. But you know what that letter in the bottle said. Whoever sent it is stuck on the B8F level of Waterfall Cave. And we can't just leave them to die. So we have to make sure we finish the job. Besides, May. You also picked out some jobs from the guild that also take place here after I showed you the one in the bottle."

The Hoennian had indeed decided it would be better to supplement their foray into Waterfall Cave with extra missions for the sake of extra points and rewards. She was still extremely reluctant about coming back. Not wanting to deal with the amorous residents of this dungeon, even if they had ended up recruiting one of them the first time they came here. And said recruit made no secret of his thoughts on the situation. "Don't worry my lovely lady. I will keep both of you safe." Grimer once again grabbed May from behind and lifted her up. "You'd be naive to believe I'd let any other Grimer enjoy you or your lovely blonde companion. You two belong to me and I will let them know that."

May merely sighed instead of reprimanding Grimer like she usually would have done. "Let's just get these missions done." She took out the mission fliers from the Treasure Bag. Apart from the one Serena found on the beach, their missions were to find a Reviser Seed somewhere in the dungeon, rescue a lost Torchic on the B4F level, and apprehend a Kabuto on the B6F level. Serena had decided to wear her pink bikini once more to take advantage of the watery terrain of the dungeon, much to the delight of her two teammates. The local denizens were also delighted by the girls' decision to wear their bikinis, as a Tangela rushed towards them with tendrils ready to entangle them. Fortunately for the girls, their perverted teammate was willing to put his money where his mouth was, standing between the girls and the lustful Grass type, which he swiftly dispatched with a shot of Sludge. Team CrimsonVelvet pressed on and found the stairs.

Moments after they had reached the next floor, the girls and their Grimer companion quickly knocked out a Psyduck, Barboach, Wooper, and Lotad that converged upon them. They continued on down the stairs. It wasn't long before they reached the B4F level, where they proceeded to search for the missing Torchic. "HEEELP!" May followed the scream and came upon a small orange chick being chased by a Wooper. As soon as she arrived though, the Water and Ground type turned and charged at her. "Get out of here, weird trespasser!" Wooper tried to strike the Hoennian with Mud Shot, but she deftly jumped over it, put her hands together in a closed fist, and smashed it onto Wooper's head. The resulting Smack Down instantly knocked it out. Torchic approached May. "Have you come to rescue me?" May nodded and took out a flier from her bag. "We got your distress message at the Wigglytuff Guild. We're gonna get you out of here!" Torchic was overjoyed and promised a reward at the guild as she vanished in a flash of yellow after May tapped her on the head with her Exploration Badge. Serena and Grimer praised May for completing the first mission.

The trio pressed on. Grimer carried out his duty and kept the girls safe from other members of his species or any lustful Tangelas they encountered. May and Serena in turn were able to handle any other opponent they came across. A Whiscash that tried to attack Serena with Zen Headbutt realized to her horror that the girl had chosen to be both Water and Psychic type, thus the attack did minimal damage. The Kalosian reacted with a coy expression, but then struck when Whiscash least expected it, the resulting Heart Stamp knocking it out. Eventually, the trio found the stairs and were on the B6F level.

"Hah! You fell right into my trap!" As soon as they reached the B6F level they saw their target, the outlaw known as Kabuto. Suddenly, a bunch of Pokémon emerged out of the water surrounding the room. "Wh-what's going on?!" May panicked. Serena was familiar with what was going on, but equally concerned. "This is a Monster House. It's when a bunch of Pokémon come out out of nowhere in a single room and outnumber us. Kabuto must have made a deal with the local Pokémon to set one up." Team CrimsonVelvet got ready to fight. Though the two human girls felt disturbed upon seeing several Grimers and Tangelas among the enemy Pokémon, ogling them.

"Ugh, Grimer, you better keep us safe!" May shouted as she rushed forward and slammed into a nearby Barboach, using Aqua Jet to knock it out. Serena dove into the nearby water and used a Dive attack to throw a Surskit out of the water. The Kalosian then used her half submerged position to create a wave to hit a nearby Psyduck with Aqua Cutter. Though it wasn't effective, a Mud Slap attack from Grimer finished it off. The living pile of sludge also used Mud Slap on others of its kind and Sludge on the Tangelas, keeping them all away from the human girls. If I protect them well, they'll be sure to reward me later. May found an opening and rushed up to Kabuto. "Bleh, you're such an upstart. Have some Absorb!" Kabuto latched onto May and tried to suck out the human girl's fluids. But he was quickly shaken off by a watery uppercut. "Waterfall!" May shouted as she inflicted a critical hit on the outlaw, knocking it out. She then used her Exploration Badge to transport it back to the Wigglytuff Guild. She then noticed that the room they were in had more items than usual. And many of these seem rare. Wait, is that what I think it is? She picked up an odd seed. "Serena, is this a Reviser Seed?" The Kalosian gave an affirmative, so May put it in the Treasure Bag, glad that she completed two missions on the same floor.

After rushing through the next floor, Team CrimsonVelvet were on the B8F level at last. "Time to find whoever sent that mission in a bottle." Muttered May, as Serena nodded in agreement. The last floor was full of the same enemy Pokémon they had encountered throughout the dungeon, and by this point May and Serena had an easy time knocking them out, even the more licentious ones. However, they couldn't find any Pokémon that seemed to be in need of rescuing. May took out the flier and realized that the client's name wasn't listed. "Serena, do you have any idea who could've sent this message in a bottle?" The Kalosian was about to answer, when someone else's voice was heard. "Message in a bottle, you say? Well that was me!" Seemingly from out of nowhere, a small floating fish-like being rushed towards the group. Stopping just before it collided with Serena. "I'm Tynamo. You got my distress message?! Awesome!" May wasted no time using the Exploration Badge to rescue him, before using it to get Team CrimsonVelvet out of Waterfall Cave as well.

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"Mmmmm, today was a long day." May groaned as she plopped herself onto her bed. "We had to deal with Team Skull in the morning and then completed four different jobs in Waterfall Cave. And after that we had to do Sentry Duty again since we came home too early and Diglett had an emergency. I just want to sleep."

Serena however, was far more optimistic than her partner, as usual. "But May, because we did so much today, we're sure to get picked for the expedition! Besides, remember how happy our clients were, especially Tynamo?"

The levitating electric fish had buzzed around the girls as soon as they had returned and bestowed almost excessive rewards upon them. They received 10,000 Poké (even though they only managed to keep 1000, this was still a massive reward), a jar of nectar, a Violent Seed, a Vile Seed, and even a jar of something called "Poison Dust", which excited Grimer. Tynamo had also praised the girls for nearly an hour before buzzing away from the guild. The other clients had also given Team CrimsonVelvet generous rewards, including a Deino who had asked for the Reviser Seed and gave Team CrimsonVelvet a Detect Band and some Poké. And afterwards they had received gifts from Chatot for completing Sentry Duty with flying colors including another jar of nectar and some gummis.

May considered all of this and turned to Serena with a smile. "Well, I guess you're right. I'm sure Wigglytuff and Chatot will be give us more consideration for our work ethic." Serena smiled back. The girls went to sleep, confident that they would be chosen for the expedition with their current rate of activities.